cox cable modem usb network connection

[iPC]

My g/f has Cox cable modem service. The modem connects to her PC via usb port. I tried plugging in my iBook, figuring that it would find it and go. No dice. Are their drivers somewhere that I need?

iBook 800
OS X 10.2.8

www.cox.com does not have any drivers in their software section, and I am unsure which cable modem it is (g/f is of no help with this).

Thanks!

 

[LethalWolfe]

odds are their are no drivers. I've used Comcast and time warner (now lighthouse) cable modem service and none of their modems provided (one is a a motorola, not sure what the other one is) had OS X drivers. One of the modems had drivers for OS 9 but when I d/led them they were part of an .exe file

Is the cable modem USB only? Or does it have USB and ethernet? if it has ethernet just use that.


Lethal

 

[jimthorn]

Wow, that would suck... The only cable or DSL modems I've ever worked with have been stand-alone with ethernet out. A USB hook-up sounds like a stupid arrangement, especially if you're using a laptop. I would not be happy with my service provider if they gave me that hardware...

 

[Lanbrown]

There are drivers, but the question is if the manufacturer of the unit has any for OS X. Do as the others have suggested and look for the Ethernet port if it has one. If it doesn't, you may want to have her modem upgraded to an Ethernet model and put a router on it. Computers directly connected to the Internet is a very bad idea, especially peecees with the windows. A firewall should be standard on every modem sold, not only to help stop the proliferation of worms through vulnerabilities but to curb data that should not be on the Internet and protects ones system from prying eyes.

 

[iPC]

Originally posted by Lanbrown
There are drivers, but the question is if the manufacturer of the unit has any for OS X. Do as the others have suggested and look for the Ethernet port if it has one. If it doesn't, you may want to have her modem upgraded to an Ethernet model and put a router on it. Computers directly connected to the Internet is a very bad idea, especially peecees with the windows. A firewall should be standard on every modem sold, not only to help stop the proliferation of worms through vulnerabilities but to curb data that should not be on the Internet and protects ones system from prying eyes.

Thanks for the advice. Upgrading the modem is not an option, it is the only one they offer. Honestly, I did not check for an ethernet jack. I would have figured OS X had drivers for such devices. *sigh* I will be up there again this weekend, and I will bring some cat5 with me.

As to the router issue.... she won't spend the money for one, and I am not buying her one to use it for 20min a week. I have locked down XP for her, installed all the updates, and she has Norton on there. Really no less safe than someone with dialup.

 

[Lanbrown]

Buy your own then. All you would need is to provide them with the address of it and update their system. They must offer something other then USB, as some machines just will not work with USB modems. You could get yourself a nice DOCSIS 2.0 modem and be ready for when they upgrade their network.

Is the computer on all the time? Dial-up is actually safer then broadband as the pipe is much smaller and the attacks are less likely to happen. If you notice, all broadband connections are in a set of IP ranges, much less so with dial-up. With broadband is in certain ranges, the hackers scan those networks, they typically don't scan the dial-up ones. If you have ever looked at any logs, broadband connections get hammered all the time, dialup does not. No matter how much you think a system is secure, it never is.

 

[aphexist]

Re: cox cable modem usb network connection

Originally posted by iPC
My g/f has Cox cable modem service. The modem connects to her PC via usb port. I tried plugging in my iBook, figuring that it would find it and go.

These types of cable modems usually have both USB and Ethernet connectivity. I have a Motorola cable modem from Cox and it has both.

Look for an ethernet port on the back of the modem. Make sure you unplug the USB cable if you try the ethernet.

 

[iPC]

This is a thread regarding a lack of OS X drivers, not a thread regarding network security.

<rant>
As my grandmother used to say; "If you don't have anything usefull to say, don't speak."

Please refrain from offering "advice" on how to set up a network. I have far more reliable sources of information than MacRumors for that.

If you had read my other post, you would have noted the setup, and the fact that I use this connection for maybe 20min a week. Buying a new modem is out of the question. It is not worth the money, as it is to be used so rarely. If the modem is usb only, I can live without the internet connection for my iBook. I can use her PC if I must; after all, I use one for 10 hrs a day 5 days a week at work.
</rant>

Please consider this thread closed.

 

[jaesk8er]

Hey this guys are just looking to help you out don't get all pist off about it. like a wise man once said "you get what you pay for." Ok that said they do have both usb and ethernet like said above. I used to work for comcast and installed those modems all the time. Just get an ethernet cord.

 

[Lanbrown]

Define twenty minutes a week. Some people leave their systems on all of the time, but may only use it for twenty minutes a day. Vulnerabilities in the OS came be exploited the minute it is connected, especially the way worms spread. On corporate firewalls you will see many requests every second and the logs can become quite large.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and suggestions and in the US where you and I both are, we have this thing called the first amendment.

 

[iPC]

Originally posted by Lanbrown
Define twenty minutes a week. Some people leave their systems on all of the time, but may only use it for twenty minutes a day. Vulnerabilities in the OS came be exploited the minute it is connected, especially the way worms spread. On corporate firewalls you will see many requests every second and the logs can become quite large.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and suggestions and in the US where you and I both are, we have this thing called the first amendment.

*sigh*

My g/f lives 1.5hrs away. I visit her on the weekends (unless she is visiting me). I might check my email once or twice while I am there. That takes 20 minutes. This is using my iBook with OS X 10.2.8 Her machine is a 1GHz Celeron running WinXP Home, fully patched with Norton, and it is never left running.

I understand how attacks work. I have been online more or less daily since 1993, and I have not been affected (lost time, work, or money) by a virus or worm since 1993 (freshman year in college). I know what I am doing. As a side note, I have not used Windows at home on a regular basis since RedHat 6.0 came out...

<rant>
And the 1st Amendment is not all blanketing. All you have to do is stand on your soapbox (literally or figuratively) at the base of the steps at your state's capitol building, speaking and handing out flyer's advocating the terrorist activities of Al Qaeda (or whomever you choose). I bet you will be arrested, even if you have the required permits (if needed). You won't be merandised(sp?), you won't be having legal counsel, and you won't be getting a speedy trial. Your "rights" are only for when it is convenient. They can be rescinded at any time, if you are deemed to be harming the interests of your government. This is not the definition of freedom. It is a less strict police-state.
</rant>

The cable modem does have both ethernet and usb connections. Ethernet worked fine. I still think it is lame that usb did not.

 

[aphexist]

Originally posted by iPC
My g/f lives 1.5hrs away. I visit her on the weekends (unless she is visiting me).

Hey dude. What is your girlfriend's address? I left my USB cable at her house...

Stop being such a hard-on. Just because you started the topic doesn't mean people can't exbound as much as they like. It is not a personal attack on your computer knowledge if people elaborate. I think that's what the "First Amendment" comment was intended to mean.

 

[iPC]

Originally posted by aphexist
Hey dude. What is your girlfriend's address? I left my USB cable at her house...

Stop being such a hard-on. Just because you started the topic doesn't mean people can't exbound as much as they like. It is not a personal attack on your computer knowledge if people elaborate. I think that's what the "First Amendment" comment was intended to mean.

I got that the first time I read it, thanks though.

I wasn't looking for networking 101, I was looking for a source of driver's. I am new to OS X, and I am still finding out where to look for software advice. MR does not appear to be a good place.

 

[aphexist]

Originally posted by iPC
I wasn't looking for networking 101, I was looking for a source of driver's. I am new to OS X, and I am still finding out where to look for software advice. MR does not appear to be a good place.

Ok dude. You started a thread in a hardware forum saying, "I need drivers. I don't know what hardware I have. Give me drivers. You all suck." If you don't know what you need drivers for, you are not going to find them NO MATTER WHAT.

Here is the best I can do. Those are the modems most frequently distributed by Cox. They are Windows only. Good luck.

 

[Lanbrown]

He mentions he is computer literate but doesn't look for an Ethernet port, didn't know where to find drivers, which the manufacturers website is a good place to start. Let him go to another board and ask his questions.

 

[iPC]

Originally posted by Lanbrown
He mentions he is computer literate but doesn't look for an Ethernet port, didn't know where to find drivers, which the manufacturers website is a good place to start. Let him go to another board and ask his questions.

And here I was told "OS X just works."

Networking over USB is not new... to the PC world. Apparently Mac's are too good for that, or something.

Many drivers out there are not written by the manufacturer (i had already checked cox.com - as mentioned above). I am a converted linux user... I am used to a community that makes up for what is lacking by the manufacturers.

And I have found better boards for asking tech questions. No help from MR though.......

I guess I will lurk... and post less questions, and more opinions. Should fit right in, correct?

 

[Rower_CPU]

In my experience, even on Windows, USB modems are a crapshoot. My ISP tried to send me one for my old DSL connection, even though I had requested an modem with etherner. Windows would blue screen every time I tried to connect - their tech people came out looked at what it was doing and gave me an ethernet modem. No problems after that.

Why do ISPs insist on forcing people to network over USB? It's a kludge, IMO.

 

[mactastic]

I know when I switch computers (or routers) with my cable modem I have to unplug and restart my modem twice in order to reset the modem for the new MAC address on the ethernet card. Perhaps this is why you can't connect when you switch computers. AFAIK you don't need any drivers when you use a cable modem, I never have had any either when I used OS9 or now with X. If that doesn't work, call the cable company and ask them to release the modem to accept a new address. The cable guy told me that a long time ago, and I doubted it then, but I guess it can't hurt.

One more reason to have a router between you and your modem. With my Airport as the address the modem reads, I can plug and unplug (and wirelessly add) new computers to the network at will instead of restarting the modem each time.

Good luck.

 

[Lanbrown]

Originally posted by iPC
Many drivers out there are not written by the manufacturer (i had already checked cox.com - as mentioned above). I am a converted linux user... I am used to a community that makes up for what is lacking by the manufacturers.

Cox is not a manufacturer.